Coiling apparatus



y 1956 R. F. HERR comm; APPARATUS F1? led Sept. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet1 n L b INVENTOR. Rzcumw E Helm H ff'omey May 29, 1956 R. F. HERRCOILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F21 led Sept. 25, 1952 ONE WAYCLUTCHES INV EN TOR. RICHHRD E HERR BY ZML/W H #0 rney United States,Patent O COILING APPARATUS Richard F. Herr, Warren, Ohio, assignor, bymesne assignments, to The Herr Equipment Corporation, Warren, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application September 25, 1952, Serial No. 311,491

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-80) My invention relates to coiling apparatus, moreparticularly to apparatus for use in coiling strip material and thelike, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new andimproved apparatus of the character described.

Modern economical production of strip material requires that equipmentsuch as rolling mills, slitters, edgers, paint lines and the likeoperate at continuous high speeds for protracted periods of time. Inaccordance with the foregoing, the coiling apparatus employed to absorbthe output of such equipment must also be capable of operating at highspeeds; it must be rugged and dependable because coiling apparatusbreakdowns are extremely expensive since such failures require theentire line to be shut down; and the coiling apparatus must provide fora minimum time lag between the completion of one coil and the start ofanother.

Some prior art designs, in attempting to provide suitable coilingapparatus, have employed double reel coilers having separate drivemotors for each reel. Others have employed a single drive motor but haveused clutches for controlling the application of power to one reel orthe other. However, these constructions have been unsatisfactory becauseof their high initial cost and subsequent maintenance' cost and becausetheir complexity of construction resulted in frequentproduction-disrupting breakdowns.

My invention differs from prior art apparatus in that it meets all ofthe previously mentioned requirements, and at the same time is simplerto operate and construct, more economical to manufacture, and morereliable in operation than those known heretofore. These and otheradvantages will become apparent from a study of the description whichfollows and of the drawings appended thereto.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part ofthis application there is shown, for purpose of illustration, anembodiment which my invention may assume, and in these drawings:

Figure l is a front elevational view of an embodiment of my improvedcoiling apparatus,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with certain parts removed toshow interior construction, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged, broken, sectional view generally correspondingto the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, my coiling apparatus comprises a pairof spaced-apart reels carried by respective shafts 11 that are rotatablysupported by a casing 12. Each reel 10 is adapted to receive the stripmaterial which is to be wound thereon and each may take the form shownin my co-pending application for Letters Patent Serial Number 302,209,or any other suitable reel may be employed.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the strip S is illustrated as being fed tomy coiling apparatus from an elevated posi- 2,747,8 l0 Patented May 29,-1956 tion; however, it is to be understood that such feeding position isillustrative only and that the strip S could easily be fed from below orfrom either side. Additionally, it is presently preferred to wind thestrip upon the respective reels by driving them in opposite directionsas indicated by the arrow. However, it will be clear that the directionof rotation of the reels is immaterial and that if desired, my apparatusmay be arranged to drive the reels in the same direction.

Both shafts 11 are adapted to be driven by a single source of power, andas shown in Figure 3, the source of power illustrated comprises areversible electric motor 13. The motor 13 has a sprocket 14 secured toits output shaft and the sprocket 14 engages with a chain 15 engageablewith a sprocket 16 secured to the input shaft of a reducer unit 17.

The output shaft of the reducer unit 17 extends rear wardly (withreference to the disposition of parts as shown in Figure 3) andco-axially with the input shaft, and a sprocket 18 is secured to suchoutput shaft. The sprocket 18 is engageable with a chain 19, and thechain 19 extends over sprockets 20 carried by respective reel shafts 11and around an idler sprocket 21.

With the construction thus far described, it will be clear that themotor 13 will effect rotation of the reducer unit 17 and consequentrotation of each of the sprockets 20.

Referring to Figure 4 wherein one of the two similarly arranged shafts11 is shown, it will be seen that each shaft 11 is rotatable in bearings22 supported by the housing 12. Mounted on each Shaft 11 is a clutchunit 23, and each sprocket 20 is secured to a respective clutch unit 23by means of capscrews 24. A detailed description of clutch unit 23 isbelieved to be unnecessary since this unit may be of any well-known,commercially available type. It will be explained however, that eachunit 23 is a one-way or free wheeling clutch which provides for relativerotation between the shaft and the clutch but in only one direction. Anyattempt at rotation in the opposite direction will lock the clutch andthe shaft together for unitary rotation.

A clutch unit 25, similar to unit 23, is mounted on each shaft 11, eachunit 25 being secured by capscrews 26 to a bracket 27 which is in turnsecured to the housing 12. It will be clear that since clutch unit 25 issecured to bracket 27, the clutch will permit rotation of shaft 11 inone direction but will lock the shaft against rotation in the otherdirection.

In the present embodiment, both sprockets 20 are adapted to be driventogether in the same direction by the motor 13 through the speed reducer17 and chain 19. However, the clutches 23 are arranged so that as thesprockets 20 are rotated in one direction by the motor 13, one clutch 23will engage its shaft 11 to effect rotation thereof while the otherclutch 23 will free-wheel about its shaft 11.

Referring to Figure 3, and assuming that the motor 13 is rotating so asto drive both sprockets 20 in the direction of the arrows, the clutch 23on the left hand shaft 11 is arranged to grip the shaft and effectrotation thereof. Additionally, clutch 25 on the left hand shaft isarranged to permit the shaft to free-wheel in this direction ofrotation. With respect to the right hand shaft 11, the clutch 23 isarranged to free-wheel about the shaft while the clutch 25 is arrangedto engage the shaft and prevent its rotation.

From the foregoing it will be clear that when the motor 13 rotates inone direction, the left hand shaft 11 will be driven while the righthand shaft 11 remains stationary. It will also be clear that when themotor rotation is reversed, the right hand shaft 11 will be driven whilethe left hand shaft 11 remains stationary.

While clutches 25 have been shown in this embodiment, it is to beunderstood that they may be omitted without effecting operation of myapparatus. The use of clutches 25 is warranted only because undercertain conditions there may be a slight tendency for a clutch 23 todrag when it is free-wheeling. Clearly, the use of clutches 25completely eliminates this possibility.

Referring again to Figure 1, the use of my apparatus in coiling stripmaterial will now be described: The strip material S that is to becoiled may first be secured to one of the reels 10, for example the lefthand reel 10, by any suitable means. The drive motor 13 may then beenergized to effect rotation of the left hand reel in the direction ofthe arrow and to thus cause the strip 10 to be wound upon the reel. (Itwill be recalled that the right hand reel 10 will remain stationarybecause of the action of the clutches 23, mounted on the right handshaft 11.) I

When a coil of sufiicient size has been built up on the left hand reel10, the motor 13 may be de-energizcd and the strip material S may thenbe severed from the built up coil and secured to the right hand reel 10.The motor 13 may then be energized to rotate in a direction opposite toits previous direction and this will effect rotation of the right handreel 10 in the direction of the arrow while the left hand reel 10remains stationary as before described.

While the strip material S is being wound upon the right hand reel 10,the operator may remove the completed coil from the stationary left handreel 10 so that by the time a coil of sufficient size has been built upon the right hand reel 10, the left hand reel 10 will be unloaded andready to receive the strip material once again.

It will be clear that with my apparatus very little coiling time will belost since it is necessary to interrupt the coiling operation only longenough to sever the strip material and transfer the uncoiled end to theempty reel.

Furthermore, since a completed coil may be removed from one reel duringthe time strip is wound on another reel, coiling time ordinarily lost inremoving a coil is entirely eliminated.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat I have accomplished at least the principal object of my inventionand it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that theembodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified,without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that theinvention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specificallydescribed, hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosedembodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limitedthereto.

I claim:

Coiling apparatus comprising a pair of rotatably supported, spaced-apartshafts, a reel carried by each of said shafts, drive means connected toeach of said shafts for effecting rotation thereof, said drive meansbeing selectively rotatable in either direction, a first one-way clutchmeans interposed between said drive means and each of said shafts, saidfirst clutch means providing for driving engagement between said drivemeans and one or the other of said shafts depending upon the directionof rotation of said drive means, and a second one-way clutch means foreach of said shafts, each second clutch means being secured to anon-rotatable portion of the apparatus for restraining rotation of itsrespective shaft in a direction opposite to the direction of rotationeffected by said driving engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS416,940 Morgan Dec. 10, 1889 1,812,433 Duncan et a1 a- June 30, 19311,846,894 Morgan Feb. 23, 1932 2,673,041 Hittle Mar. 23, 1954 2,685,415Wittel et a1 Aug. 3, 1954

